First Sight
by WindWisp
Summary: RIku and Cloud's first meeting. Drabble-ish.


**In the past, May 20****th**** was Clouku Day, so I figured I would celebrate by writing a little one-shot of how Cloud and Riku met. Then I kind of slept all day. So I'm posting it today, instead!**

**No romance in this one, I'm afraid.**

* * *

Riku's room in Hollow Bastion was always cold. Fierce winds from the barren world would rip their way through cracks in the stone walls, swirling around the room and stealing heat from the body that resided there. The cold seeped through shoes, clothes, and blankets, sucking the life out of the fire in the grate.

Riku was currently huddled under three blankets, fully clothed, and sitting as close to the fire in his room as he could without being burned. His fingers were stiff beneath his gloves, and he found himself wondering when Maleficent would send him on a real mission. He wouldn't mind going to Wonderland again – he'd been sent to scout it out yesterday, but nothing more. It was spring there, and the world had been full of trees and shrubs and plants with flowers the likes of which he had never seen. The small, red ones were particularly intriguing – soft petals and vibrant color nestled among a green bush of thorns.

Another shiver wracked Riku's body, and he decided it was time to explore the castle. Anything would be better than just sitting around waiting to die from heat loss.

Standing, he threw the blankets back on his bed. The hallway turned out to be chilly, though, so at the risk of looking ridiculous, he snatched one back up and pulled it around his shoulders. Stupid island clothing.

Riku's footsteps echoed as he made his way through the halls, bouncing off of the cold, stone walls. The castle was beautiful, particularly from the outside, but the lack of windows and thus, light, made it difficult to appreciate. The balconies and corridors were all completely empty, and Riku began to wonder if anyone else lived here besides himself and Maleficent.

Eventually he came to the chapel, but the door was shut tight. He'd been hoping to talk to Maleficent, but Riku didn't want to interrupt anything. Instead he sat outside the door, curling into his blanket and trying to keep his mind off of the past week's events.

One of the voices behind the door was getting louder, and he was so focused on trying to decipher the yelling that he jumped when the chapel door burst open, crashing against the wall.

"–urn your back on me! When I tell you to fight, you fight! When I tell you to win, you –"

A man maybe seven years older than Riku came out, slamming the door behind him and cutting off the angry voice.

He was beautiful – there was no other way to describe him. Most of his body was covered in what looked like battle clothing, with a red cape that looked like it had gone through hell. One of his hands wore a golden-clawed gauntlet, and Riku could see – was that a wing sprouting from his shoulder? His hair was even spikier than Sora's, but a pale blonde color than shone even in the low light. The man was leaning back against the chapel door, arms crossed and eyes closed. Riku could only see half of his face, but he seemed to be in deep thought.

Riku must have shifted just a bit, because the man's eyes snapped open and Riku suddenly found himself at the tip of a gigantic, wrapped sword, staring into the bluest eyes he had ever seen. They seemed almost to glow.

After a few moments of abject terror, Riku was relieved when the man dropped his sword. Obviously he didn't see a teenager huddled in a blanket on the floor as much of a threat. Imagine that.

"Who are you?" the man asked, but Riku found that he still couldn't move. Something about those eyes had him paralyzed. The man raised an eyebrow, then pushed himself off of the door and started to walk away.

"Riku." The boy had regained his voice once the eye contact was broken. "My name is Riku."

The blonde man paused and turned halfway around, regarding Riku from the side.

There were a few moments of tense, awkward silence wherein Riku began to feel self-conscious, and so the boy stood up, throwing the blanket off his shoulders in an attempt to look more dignified. For some reason, he didn't want to look pathetic in front of this man, who now appeared to be sizing him up.

"Maleficent's pawn?"

"Not if I have anything to say about it," Riku replied. "I'm no one's pawn."

The man smirked. "If you say so." And with that, he turned back around and walked down the hallway, disappearing from sight just as the chapel door crashed open once more.

"Where is that little brat?" growled a man with flaming blue hair. No, seriously – flaming. Riku had a sudden urge to throw a bucket of water on him. "I'm gonna kill that sonnuva…" at this point, the blue man's voice broke into incoherent mumbles as he stomped down the hallway, turning down the first hallway he saw.

"Who was that?" Riku asked Maleficent, who was now standing in the doorway.

"Hades," she replied, "self-proclaimed god of the Underworld."

"What about the guy that came out before him?"

"They signed a contract. Now then," she said, changing the topic, "my _dearest_ boy. I have a mission for you. We've located the princess in Wonderland."

As Maleficent shepherded him down the hallway, explaining what he must do, Riku realized he had forgotten to get the other man's name. Well, maybe he'd see him again sometime, and he could ask.

* * *

**This was rather anti-climactic - I feel like I might continue with it once I'm far enough along on my other story.**

**Much love**

**WindWisp**


End file.
